Hard rain makes many rivers unfit for humans, tests show

Swimming in the rivers that feed the Chesapeake Bay after a hard rain could be hazardous to your health according to a key finding of a water quality experiment conducted last month by reporters at the University of Maryland working for News21, a national consortium of journalism schools.

The team took water samples before and after significant rainfall at seven beaches and recreation spots along five rivers that feed the Chesapeake Bay, including two in Anne Arundel County.

Their goal was to gauge the impact of stormwater - one of the fastest-growing pollution sources in the Chesapeake Bay - on bacteria levels in the water.